Boss Dean is targeting a high energy display on home soil as Dragons tackle French giants Lyon in the European Challenge Cup on Friday evening (kick-off 8pm).
Dragons face Top 14 opposition for the second consecutive week after an opening round defeat to Perpignan.
The Director of Dragons Rugby insists his side are ‘relishing’ the prospect of ging toe-to-toe with a side challenging at the summit of the French domestic league.
However, with injuries continuing to bite, he has stressed the importance of keeping a stable environment to allow young players to prosper and gain valuable experiences.
“Everyone can see the challenge of Lyon and the Top 14 teams, so it’s important we have got real energy and enjoy opportunities to get another experience at home,” he said.
“We are carrying a lot of injuries and that is increased by Elliot Dee (HIA) and Will Rowlands (neck). That is added to those we are already missing.
“That makes it even more important that we get people fit and our energy levels high ready for Friday.
“What we are looking to do is get a little bit more energy back into our performances, a bit more pace into what we do before we go into the derby games.
“It’s always been a challenge when we lose our senior players of how we create depth and experience for those coming in,” he added.
“It’s my job to create stability with that group and I’ve been incredibly proud of Taine Basham, Ben Carter and Aneurin Owen.
“That is not just about exposing them, that is about using them in a stable environment.
“The last few weeks that environment has tipped away from us a little bit, certainly at Glasgow, and we’ve just got to try and maintain that stability.
“We are always under pressure when we have got our senior players away, that has not changed in two or three years.
“What we have got to ensure is that those experiences for those players are stable and therefore they can keep getting better. We’ve been incredibly proud of our ability to do that.
“The last few weeks, certainly Glasgow, dented us a little bit confidence wise and I think that reflected in a Perpignan performance where we all knew we should have scored more in the first half.”
As for Lyon, Ryan acknowledged the French side will pose a typical Top 14 challenge.
“They will be incredibly big and physical with dynamic runners across the back – it is what you expect when you face French sides,” he said.
“But we relish Europe because it is different, a different experience for us. But anchored to that, we’ve got to create stability for those experiences to be a positive.
“We’re really looking forward to facing Lyon and really looking forward to being back at Rodney Parade.
“However, part of my challenge is to maintain stability when we lose Elliot Dee or Will Rowlands, when senior guys like Gonzalo Bertranou and Rhodri Williams are not around. It is a challenge at the moment.”
